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Getting Started with
Home Schooling:
Practical Considerations

 
   
 
Mathematics

Talking Mathematically Helps Children Learn Maths Naturally

by Margaret Etherton, co-author of Learning Maths Naturally

"You make me eat millions of noodles, sixteen pieces of meat and twelve celeries."

My son made this mathematical statement at the ripe age of four years! Some of his other remarks were similarly challenging and mathematical:

While his grammar is not perfect and his maths is exaggerated these statements demonstrate a beginning awareness of such concepts as reasoning, shapes, spatial relations, time, the comparison of size, volume ane weight, and ordering of numbers.

In exploring his understanding of the world my son was using the language he has heard from others and beginning to construct his own version of mathematical concepts.

This is important aspect of a child's language development can be recognised, used and encouraged by the home-schooling parent to develop mathematical comprehension.

The more language children are exposed to the better they will be able to understand the Maths used in the world. They need good models of mathematical language to think mathematically and to be able to later do symbolic 'pen and paper' Maths. If you hear your child using mathematical expressions, even if they are nonsensical or ungrammatical, recognise them and reflect back what the child is trying to express.

By encouraging children to use mathematical language in appropriate situations the maths becomes real, relevant and meaningful to them.

Examples of reflective mathematical language:

  • "Do you want to measure how long my arm is? What can we use to find out?"
  • "The bell goes in five minutes. You're not late yet!"
  • "Will the drink fit into this glass or not?"
  • "You've grown three centimetres since last time we measured."
  • "We put the butter on first, the vegemite goes on second, third comes the sprouts. Now we can eat it!"
  • "There are three candles because you are three."
  • "It's hot today - 29 degrees Celsius."
  • "$159 is way too expensive to spend on a toy!"
 

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Home education is a legal alternative
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families are able to develop curriculum
and learning programs to suit the
individual needs of their children.
For more information visit the
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photo of Beverley and Robin PainePioneering members of the home education movement in Australia, Beverley and Robin Paine are passionate advocates of true educational choice for families. They began homeschooling their children in 1986 and three years later started the South Australian Home Based Learners network. Beverley wrote Getting Started with Homeschooling in 1995-97 and since then continues to write books and booklets on home education. She balances spending time helping home educators with working in her garden and renovating her home, as well as continuing to build her collection of writing on a variety of homeschooling subjects. Beverley maintains an extensive collection of websites as well as several Yahoo groups supporting families teaching their children at home. In 2007 Beverley joined the HEA and became a committee member in 2008: she also edits and produce the HEA Newsletter, HEA magazine, Stepping Stones for Home Educators, annual Resource Directory and other HEA publications. If you'd like to keep in touch with what Beverley is up to her in her life, sign up for the Homeschool Australia Newsletter or visit her Homeschool AustraliaFacebook page.

 
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